Cinco
by Mini Marianne
Summary: Hate the enemy. Hate the game. Hate the Digital World. But don't hate your friends.
1. The Meeting

A young girl sat down on the ground,her eyes becoming teary.Here she was,first a loyal 15 year old and now there was an upset 5 year old who didn't know where he friends or Digimon were.She began to cry loudly,out of self-sarrow and pain,but little did she know that crying for help was one of the best things that happened to her.  
  
Tai sighed.The other Digidestind were slowly trudging behind him.  
  
"Tai,can't we stop and rest?"Sora asked.  
  
"Not yet.This is Leopardmon's place.We'll rest once we get out of this jungle."  
  
The others sighed,exasperated.They pressed on,some lagging behind due to exhaustion.Farest behind was Joe.He stopped for a moment to catch his breath,then a sound reached his ear.  
  
"Help me,someone!"  
  
He straightened up and turned his head toward the sound.  
  
"Please! Somebody help!"  
  
Without thinking,Joe followed the sound unaware that Gomamon wasn't with him.The crying never ceased,so Joe had no problem finding the source.Before too long,he reached a clearing.The voice grew stronger.It was coming from the taller grass.Joe calmly walked through it and when some extra-tall grass parted,what he saw astonished him.  
  
He saw a 5 year old girl sitting in the clearing.Her back was to him,until she realized he was there.Instantly she turned around.Her bright blue eyes gazed into his.A fearful look spread across her face,then she stood up and tried to run.She ended up tripping over her own feet,with the help of the left leg that had long marks on it.Joe went after her and pinned her to the ground.She tried to struggle,but Joe was stronger.Much stronger than her.  
  
"Would you stop struggling? I'm trying to help you!"  
  
"How do I know that?" the 5 year old asked.  
  
"I don't know, but all you have to do is trust me."  
  
She blinked in shock, then slowly calmed down.  
  
"There, see? All it takes is a little trust."  
  
"Well,it's not easy for someone who's lost most of it..." the child replied, blinking.  
  
Then she noticed that Joe didn't seem to be paying attention.  
  
'What would the guys think when I bring a little kid back? I'm gonna have to break it to them slowly.'  
  
"Whats wrong? Did something happen? Did you forget something?"  
  
"No, nothing happened. Come on, lets get you out of here. Ok?" Joe answered, putting his hand on her shoulder.  
  
"Why do I sense that you're lying?"  
  
"Ummm...Uhhhhh..."  
  
Joe gulped and began to sweat as he tried to think of an answer,but the girl spoke first.  
  
"Hey,I may be a 5 year old now,but I'm not stupid.Something's wrong.I can tell.After all,I've had 15 years of experience..."  
  
Joe gave her a strange look.  
  
"Don't you mean you had 5 years of experience?"  
  
She shook her head sadly.  
  
"No.I mean 15 years.You can thank Subtimemon for this..."  
  
"Subtimemon? He got to you too? He's been getting all the digimon, we have to stop him, come on!"  
  
"Wait,what do you mean? Does this mean the Digimon can't digivolve?" the 5 year old asked, looking confused.  
  
"Yes they need a special kind plant to help them to be able to digivolve again. We've got to get to the others quickly and find that plant."  
  
Joe picked the child up and started walking in the direction he had come. The girl made no attempt to struggle. She blinked and looked up at him.  
  
"Think I could help?"  
  
"I don't know...by the way, what's your name?" Joe asked,looking down at her.  
  
"Chelsey,but some call me Chels.Whichever you want.And who are you,by the way?"  
  
"My name is Joe, people call me Joe. Nice to meet you, Chelsey."  
  
"Same here, Joe. Who are the other Digidestind you travel around with?"  
  
"Oh, the gang, their names are Tai, Matt, Sora, Mimi, Izzy, T.K., and Kari. You'll like them, they're really nice."  
  
"My group consists of myself,Kacie and Jana.They're nice too,but..." Chelsey trailed off.  
  
"What's wrong?"  
  
"We got separated when we ran into Leopardmon...I don't know what's become of them...I hope Leopardmon didn't find, catch or kill them."  
  
At that moment, the bushes started to rustle. Joe stood rooted to the spot. They waited. The bushes continued to rustle, but nothing came out. But it wasn't too long before they saw spots among the leaves.  
  
"Chelsey, hang on tightly.We've got to get out of here."  
  
Joe instantly started running. Behind him, he could hear feet pounding and a voice so chilling, it made the hairs on the back of his neck stand up.  
  
"You can't escape me! Without a Digimon,you're toast!"  
  
Both Chelsey and Joe looked back and what they saw made their hearts skip a beat. Leopardmon was closing in on them fast! At that point, Joe triped on a root sticking up from the ground and fell, twisting his ankle in the process. He whimpered as Leopardmon drew closer at a rapid speed. Still holding the 5 year old in his arms, he pulled her closer and closed his eyes, braced for a deathly impact. But it never came...  
  
To be continued.  
  
Cliffhanger! My first Digimon story. The title was given to me by my best friend DarkHououmon and a lot of the quotes came from Azul. Thank you DarkHououmon and Azul. ANd I don't own Digimon, but I do own Leopardmon and Subtimemon. They're mine and mine alone. Hope you like it. R&R  
  
I'm Eliza Thornberry's mother, just shorter Mini Marianne 


	2. Surprise at Camp

"Blue blaster!"  
  
Something blue flashed past the Digidestind and 5 year old. Leopardmon stopped dead in his tracks, then turned around and retreated back into the brush.  
  
"I'll be back!"  
  
"Matt! Thank goodness!" Joe tried to get back up, but ended up falling back down in pain.  
  
"Joe, are you hurt?" Chelsey asked, looking concerned.  
  
"No it's just a twisted ankle, I'll survive."  
  
"To me,that's hurt..."  
  
"No need to worry..." Joe struggled to stand and succeeded. "See, no need to fret."  
  
Chelsey tilted her head,but shruged.  
  
"Where to now?"  
  
At that point, Matt and Gabumon had joined them. Matt studied the girl in Joe's arms.  
  
"Uhh Joe, why do you have a kid in your arms?"  
  
"She's lost and-" Joe started to explain, but then Chelsey interrupted him.  
  
"Excuse me! I'm 15 years old! Do you hear me? 15 years old! If you ever call me a kid again I swear I'll punch your lights out!"  
  
Matt stared at her a moment, then began to chuckle.  
  
"What was that?"  
  
"Nothing."  
  
Chelsey glared at him and said sarcastically. "Pardon me for not seeing the humor..."  
  
"A 5 year old with a 15 year old attitude..." muttered Gabumon, although no one heard him.  
  
"Sorry, kid. I didn't quite catch your name?" Matt smriked, obviously amused by something.  
  
"Maybe it's because I didn't throw it!" the 5 year old snarled angrily.  
  
"Don't back talk me!" Matt warned.  
  
Chelsey shrugged. "Well sorry for living.Chelsey's the name,but some call me Chels...And by the way,I'm not usually this nasty..."  
  
"Name's Matt, I could've been fooled."  
  
That did it. Chelsey instantly tried to jump down out of Joe's arms to get at Matt.  
  
"That's it, let me at him, let me at him!"  
  
"Fiesty, I like it."  
  
At first, Joe didn't say anything, then.  
  
"Listen, stop fighting! We've got to find the others, and Chelsey's friends too! Now stop acting like children and lets go!"  
  
Matt shrugged. And Chelsey glared angrily at him. Right now, he had her feathers ruffled, as they say. But after a while, she grew tired of glaring at him and dozed off. When she woke up, they were very close to camp.  
  
The second they reached camp,the girl was somewhat scared.The Digdestind...Most of them were twice her size, and taller people made her nervous.Scratch that, all new people made her nervous.The other Digidestind turned and quickly spotted the 5 year old Digidestind in Joe's arms.Mimi and Sora were the first two to come over.  
  
"Aww! She's so cute!"  
  
"Hi there, where did you come from?"  
  
The next sentence that caught her ear was from Tai.  
  
"Man, what do we do with her?"  
  
Chelsey took that as an insult, but said nothing. As the other Digimon gathered around, the seemed to grow even taller. She murmured, "And I just forgot that I'm very scared of new people."  
  
Unfortunately, Tai heard her. He couldn't tell what she had said, but he knew she said something.  
  
"Did you say something, kid?" he asked.  
  
Chelsey only shook her head.  
  
"No. Nothing anyone would want to hear, I'm sure."  
  
Izzy stepped forward. "No, we're all interested in what you have to say."  
  
The little girl looked around. They were all watching her, which caused her to turn dark red in the face and close her eyes. She wasn't sure what to say, but she thought she'd best think and speak fast before they got mad at her.  
  
Cliffhanger! pretty much the same announcements as on chapter one. R&R.  
  
I'm Eliza Thornberry's mother, just shorter.  
Mini Marianne 


	3. New Camp

The 5 year old hit herself lightly in the face.  
  
"Should've gone with a simple 'no'. Sorry,but I can't stand crowds...Disorder."  
  
Having just been put down, she inched away, nervousness laced in her face.  
  
"Awww, it's ok. Come here."  
  
Chelsey stopped and faced Sora, who was motioning her to come. For a couple of seconds, the 5 year old couldn't move, looking nervous. But then she practically rushed over to her, despite the injury on her ankle.  
  
Sora knelt down so the two were eye level.  
  
"We all respect you very much. Right everybody?"  
  
"Of course we do!"  
  
The 5 year old looked back at them a moment, then back at Sora. She cocked her head.  
  
"Respect? After all the years I've lived,I'm finally getting some type of respect I reconize?"  
  
"Of course, we respect each other, that's the way we are, and that's how friends act." TK said.  
  
"Glad there are some people I've meet who know and understand that..."  
  
"Alright. Enough chatter. We're gonna have to get back on the road soon." Tai decleared.  
  
The other DigiDestind nodded.  
  
Chelsey sat down, and covered the gash on her ankle. She looked up at Joe. "I can't walk anywhere with this." She held the ankle close to herself. Joe looked at her with concern on his face. He then turned to Sora.  
  
"Sora?" He called out. The girl came walking towards him.  
  
"What is it?"  
  
"Do you mind holding Chelsey still?" He asked politely. "I need to mend her ankle."  
  
Sora gave a nod, and wrapped her arms around Chelsey, and pressed her against her body. Chelsey yelped and struggled. "You mean to tell me this is gonna hurt?!" She cried out almost angrily at Joe.  
  
Joe turned to her, and gave a solemn nod. "Iodine always does, Chels...now hold still and be strong." He whispered and gently grabbed Chelsey's ankle. The girl cringed with anticipation, and soon gave out a cry when the liquid was poured onto her wound. She could feel the burning pain, and struggled to get free, but Sora only tightened her grip.  
  
Finally Joe was finished, and he wrapped the wound in a tight with cloth. Sora let go and Chelsey tried to stand up. She fell back down. "You know..maybe I was better off when I didn't tell you about the injury..." She murmured under her breath.  
  
"Actually. If I hadn't taken care of it, it would've gotten worse."  
  
Chelsey sighed. "Well. At least it wasn't the needle."  
  
At that moment, Tai called to the others. "Let's get going guys!"  
  
Chelsey struggled to get to her feet. But her ankle was so sore, she fell instantly to the ground. Sora stood over her, looking concerned. She knelt down, and asked, "Would you like me to carry you?" Chelsey nodded without hesitation, and held out her arms eagerly. Sora smiled, and wrapped her arms around the girl and lifted her off the ground.  
  
They started walking after the others. They didn't speak much, except what was going to happen today. They continued walking, mostly silent.  
  
Just then, they heard, "CHELSEY! SORA!" It was Tai. Sora looked at Chelsey and smiled.  
  
"We're almost there."  
  
"Yes...but I can't help but get a bad vibe about this place...." She looked around, frightened.  
  
Sora smiled reassuringly. "It's okay. Nothing's gonna happen."  
  
Chelsey sighed. "That's easy for you to say."  
  
to be continued.  
  
Cliffhanger! pretty much the same announcements as on chapter one and two. R&R.  
  
I'm Eliza Thornberry's mother, just shorter.  
Mini Marianne 


	4. The Crest of Loyalty

"What?"  
  
"You heard me! You want her here, she's your responsibility, Joe!"  
  
Joe had nothing to say on that, but still, he was surprised by this sudden outburst. What was wrong with the 5 year old? She was nice, wanted to help, things of that nature. And yet, Tai and Matt didn't seem to want her around...  
  
When Tai stomped off, Joe sat down on a rock, still slightly shaken. But when he finally got over it, he heard a small voice ask, "Did I do something wrong?" He looked down and there she was, looking up at him. Obviously she heard the whole thing and thought she did something bad.  
  
"No, you didn't."  
  
"Then how come Tai sounded so mad?"  
  
Joe wasn't sure how to answer that, but then Tai called over to him. "Joe. You better go look for some wood before it gets dark." He nodded and got up. Gomamon also joined him, but following them both was Chelsey.  
  
"Chels, maybe you should stay at camp..."  
  
"And get shunned by Tai and Matt? You're crazy. Besides, I'll never leave your side. You're my best friend, even though this is the first night we've known each other..."  
  
And suddenly, there was a sound and a place on her shirt started glowing. Joe watched in amazment as the 5 year old pulled out a tag and crest from the inside of her shirt. The crest was cerulean and had a crescent moon as it's symbol. Gomamon studied it.  
  
"That's the crest of loyalty...Joe." The digimon looked up at his partner. "She's a DigiDestind. And she's loyal to you..."  
  
"He's the first one of the DigiDestind to show me compassion, besides my friends."  
  
"If you're a DigiDestind, then you must have a Digimon." Gomamon continued.  
  
"I do. Cheetahmon. But she's with Kacie and Jana. I was wandering when Leopardmon seperated us. My Digimon was hanging out with Kacie's Digimon, DemiAlimon."  
  
"Why don't you tell us about it when we get back?" Joe asked.  
  
Chelsey only nodded and followed him deeper into the forest, looking for wood. Eventually, they found some and headed back. Once the wood was put on the ground, they gathered large stones to put around it, then Agumon used Pepper Breath on it. Soon, they had a nice fire burning. Chelsey, Joe and Gomamon sat down by themselves near the fire and Chelsey began to her tale of how they got there, how they got their tags and crests and Leopardmon seperating them.  
  
to be continued.  
  
Cliffhanger! Short chapter eh? Well, I wanted to save my adventure telling for the next chapter. Trust me, that chapter should be long, especially when I mention how each of us got our crests, added on to how we got there and Leopardmon seperating us. Thanks for reading. R&R.  
  
I'm Eliza Thornberry's mother, just shorter.  
Mini Marianne 


	5. Chelsey's Tales

::flashback::

Chelsey sat at her computer. Right now, she was busy chatting to her good friend Kacie. From what Kacie told her, Jana was standing next to her, staring at the screen. Chelsey just smiled and shook her head. As she was typing a responce to something Kacie just said, there was a flash of white light on the screen. Chelsey didn't even have time to cry out and then, she was sucked into the computer, which automatically shut down after she was gone.

::End flashback::

"So that's how you got here?" Joe asked. The 5 year old nodded. "But our adventures are far from over, we hadn't even landed in the Digital World yet..."

::flashback::

And she fell, fell for what seemed like hours. She could see two other girls falling a little further ahead, but couldn't find her voice or courage to call to them. And finally, the end of their fall came. One by one they dropped out...and landed on the next's back. "Kacie, get off me." "Whoever you are, get off of me." Chelsey obeyed and the three girls dusted themselves off. "Where are we?" "Kacie!" "Jana!" two small creatures came bounding up. It was hard to describe them. One was solid white with a few stripes and spikes on her back. The other was almost box-like with a tail. She also had a white horn on her head, orange body with a single violet stripe on her back, and a violet tipped tail. She also had fangs.

"Kacie! My name is PitchAlimon. I've been waiting for you for a long time." "Jana! My name is Puchimon and I've been waiting for you too." The two girls picked up the two small creatures and turned to the other girl. She only sighed and sadly shook her head...until another one came bounding out. This one was tanish with a bit of fur sticking up on her head. She had black eyes and two small fangs, as well as two short arms and legs. "Chelsey! Call me Fangmon, everyone does. And I've been waiting for you forever." Fangmon leapt into the 15 year olds arms. She just tilted her head to the left and looked over at the two girls. "Hey. I'm Chelsey. And I'm sure I know you two..." "Chelsey?" "Yep. That's me."

Kacie and Jana took a step forward. "Chelsey...oh, it's so nice to see you face-to-face." "Yeah. Now Aunt Nancy can trust you because we got to know each other." Kacie just smiled, then said. "Come on. Let's get moving. First things first. We gotta find our crests."

::End flashback::

"You already knew about the tags and crest?" Joe asked. The 5 year old nodded again. "Yep. Oh man, we had so many adventures looking for those crests, but it'd take all night and well into the morning to tell you everything. So I'll just tell you about happened when we found our crests..."

::flashback::

They came to a cliff. Just below it were statues. "They look like the DigiDestind." comented Kacie. "That's because they are the DigiDestind." PitchAlimon stated. "The DigiDestind that defeated the Dark Masters!" Puchimon added. "And they're still here." chimed in Fangmon. That made the three girl's hearts skip a beat. The DigiDestind? Here? "They are?" Jana backed up a couple of steps in shock. "Yes." "That can't be..." Jana took one step back too many and suddenly, she wasn't on ground anymore...

She plunged downward and fell right for the shrines of the DigiDestind. With a thud, she landed on the one of Izzy, much to her dismay. "Izzy!" but as she was getting up, the was a glow and something appeared from the statue's forehead. A crest... "Why...It's the crest of peace..." whispered Puchimon. They all stared in awe. The very first crest had been revealed. Now it was time to find the other two...

::End flashback::

"So then what?" "Well...Kacie found her crest next...In one very bad situation...Caused by me..."

::flashback::

The three DigiDestind girls walked down a long trail. Their Digimon, now Murizumon, DemiAlimon and Cheetahmon, walked alongside their partners. "When can we rest?" "Come on, we just rested a couple of hours ago..." Chelsey complained. "Is it our fault you don't tire out as easily as we do?" Chelsey glared mildly at her two friends, but said nothing. "Alright. We'll take a little break." Kacie and Jana both sat down on a rock. Chelsey, too full of energy to sit still, went on a walk to check the surrounding area. She stopped when she stepped on something soft and fluffy, but realized it belonged to something that was alive because there was a scream of pain.

Chelsey instantly lifted up her foot and looked down. It looked like a tail. A grey tail...A grey tail that looked very familiar to her. Then... "Electric stun blast!" The next thing she knew, a tingling feeling was spreading throughout her body. She quickly collapsed. The Gazimon smiled. "Teach ya to mess with my tail!" "Hey. I didn't know it was there. I swear I didn't." "Get ready, human. You're about to be in a world of hurt. A lot of hurt!" He laughed, then prepared for another attack. Chelsey yelped, closed her eyes and braced for the blow, but it never came.

"Claws of fury!" Slowly, Chelsey opened her eyes. Cheetahmon stood in front of her, blocking the path of the angry Gazimon. "So you want some too? We'll there's plenty for all! Electric Stun Blast!" Cheetahmon, however, leapt to one side, dodging the attack. "Chelsey!" The next thing she knew, Kacie and Jana were helping her to her feet. "Let's get outta here!" And they ran, Kacie was in the lead. She ran...straight over a hill and into a thicket of thorns. She was unhurt. Chelsey and Jana, along with their Digimon, followed. They too were unhurt. The Gazimon stopped on top of the hill, too cowardly to follow.

"Come on. Crawl ahead." They did so, then the saw an object in the ground ahead of them. Kacie brushed away the dirt to reveal a symbol. It glowed, the slipped into her tag. Kacie smiled. "No we just have one more to find..."

::End flashback::

Joe couldn't help but laugh. "Led you into the thorn bushs, eh? That might've been something I would've done..." Chelsey just nodded. "We wandered a long time, looking for my crest. It took so long that I thought there was no crest for me. But then one day..."

::flashback::

The three girls walked along a pathway. "Still no sign of Chelsey's crest..." Kacie said. "Will you two just give it up? I have no crest!" Chelsey protested angrily. "Every DigiDestind has a crest." Jana answered. Chelsey just sighed and shrugged. Why couldn't they give it up? They came to a large rock, so they decided to rest. Chelsey once again wandered ahead to check the surrounding area. Cheetahmon was following her this time. "To keep you out of trouble." she said. Chelsey just shrugged. Finally, they came to a stop. There was a lot of trees. Without a word, she climbed up on of them to get a better look at the surroundings.

"What do you see up there?" Cheetahmon called up to her. "Ocean and tons of trees and..." she squinted, looking. "A swarm of Flymon!" Sure enough, the bee-like Digimon were coming straight for her. She leapt down and both she and Cheetahmon bolted. The Flymon gave chase. "Deadly sting!" the Flymon cried out. One by one, stingers came hurling at the DigiDestind and her partner. However, the two were quick enough to dodge. Finally, the Flymon lost sight of them and just flew straight...going right past them... They both sighed.

"See what I mean?" "Don't remind me I always get into trouble..." Chelsey answered. But as she was turning to walk back towards where Kacie and Jana were waiting, there was a glow from behind her. "Huh?" she turned. A symbol appeared, then floated closer. Her tag flew up, and the new crest slipped inside, before the tag fell limply beack where it was...

::End flashback::

"So you finally found your crest, huh?" Chelsey nodded. "Yeah. And you wouldn't believe how happy I was to feel like I wasn't left out..." She stopped talking when she heard another voice. "Oh puh-lease. Do you honestly think we believe you?" Chelsey and Joe both looked to see who it was. It was Tai. "Where's your proof?" Chelsey pulled out her crest for him to see, but Tai didn't look conviced. "Great stories though. You have a really big imagination." With that, he turned and walked away. Joe shook his head and looked down at the young DigiDestind. She was so hurt by Tai's words, she looked like she was about to cry...

To be continued.

Yeah. Sorry this took so long, but I finally got this chapter finished. I'll start on the next one as soon as I can. Hope you like it.

Mini Marianne


	6. First Night

Chelsey rubbed her eyes, trying to get rid of the tears that were starting to form. The nerve of him! "Ignore him, Chels. He didn't even look at your crest." Chelsey looked up at the 12 year old. She felt encouraged by his words. She was grateful having him around. At that moment, her stomach growled. She blushed, but Joe just smiled kindly. "You hungry?" he asked, although he knew the answer. The 5 year old at his feet nodded. "Right now, I'd settle for a nice peanut butter sandwich." Joe gave a little chuckle as he stood up and picked her up. "Sorry, we're fresh out of peanut butter sandwichs. All we have are berries and leaves and grass." Chelsey frowned. "Now berries I can handle, even if I don't like them, but leaves and grass? Count me out."

They headed towards the others, who seemed to have gone out to get berries and things while Chelsey told her stories. And it was about this time that she remembered that there was one more story she needed to tell Joe and Gomamon. But before she could state this, they were already grabbing some berries. The Digidestind gathered around the fire. Chelsey sat between Joe and Sora, and for good reason. She was planning on avoiding Tai for a while, but she would not be able to put that plan into action. "Got any more stories up your sleeve, Chels?" The little girl turned to the source and found Tai looking directly at her. Having blown her chance to ignore him, she just frowned at him. "Well, do you?" Tai asked again,and Chelsey detected a small harsh note in his voice. Now all the Digidestind were looking directly at her. This made her uncomfortable and she shrank back, the way a shadow would in the presense of light.

"Leave her alone, Tai." "I was just asking, Joe. Next time, I'd like to hear it. She's got a really big imagination." "She isn't making it up, Tai." "How do you know, Joe? She doesn't even have a Digimon! How do you explain that?" "You didn't even bother looking at her crest!" An arguement broke out. Chelsey looked from Joe and Tai, then back to Joe. This was her fault. They were fighting over her, or at least that's how she saw it. Either way, she was involved.. She stood up, and began to move away nervously. However, when she turned to retreat into the shadows and disappear, a pair of hands grabbed her. "You shouldn't wander off, Chels." It was Sora. "But they're fighting, and it's my fault..." "It's not, and if you want it to stop, I'll have them stop. Just please stay right here." Placing her back on the ground, Sora moved towards Tai and Joe. Tai was still yelling at points, but Joe had gone back to just speaking in the 5 year old's defense.

"Stop it, both of you." Tai and Joe both looked at Sora. "You're scaring her." Sora continued, pointing towards the five year old. Tai frowned. "Whatever." He shrugged his shoulders, and didn't say another word for the rest of the night. His silence was errie to Chelsey. She was so busy watching him, she didn't hear a word Joe or Sora said. They were talking about Tai, she knew, but she blocked their conversation out. She sat a few feet away from them. Flanking her on the right was Gomamon, and one the left, Biyomon. She figured Joe and Sora had asked their Digimon to keep her company while they talked. They gazed up at the starry sky, deep in thought. The two Digimon hadn't seen her so sad, so both decided to try and raise her spirits. "Hey, Chels." the girl looked up. "Why did one Shellmon take the other Shellmon's lunch?" "Because it was shellfish." she replied absent-mindedly. "You're good." "Thanks, but I know what you're trying to do..."

The Digimon both looked at her. "You're trying to cheer me up, aren't you?" Both Digimon exchanged a glance, then nodded. That's when Chelsey did something they didn't quite expect. She wrapped her arms around both of them and pulled them into a hug. "I thank you." she said softly, releasing the two Digimon from her grip. Her gaze drifted back to the sky, as if she were searching for something, but at last, she looked away from the sky and turned her attention to Joe and Sora. They too, were just sitting there, looking up to the sky. No one said anything, not even the Digimon. The silence was eerie. Finally, someone stifled a yawn. "Okay, time to turn in everyone. Good night." "Good night." everyone else said. Chelsey, however, remained up. She pondered about what to do. She couldn't convince the others she spoke the truth about being a Digidestind. She couldn't prove to them anything. After all, her Digimon was no where close by, and she doubted Tai or the others would even bother looking at her Digivice or crest. She was lucky that Joe and Sora believed her. She sighed, unsure about what she was gonna do.

"Time for bed." She heard Joe say. She grumbled under her breath. She didn't want to go to sleep at the moment.

"But I don't want to." She crossed her arms, and glared at Joe. He crossed his arms as well.

"No buts. I'm responsible for you and I say you go to bed now."

Chelsey sighed in defeat. She let Joe push her into her back gently, and watched as he laid down next to her. "Goodnight, Chelsey."

"Night, Joe." She muttered.

To be continued.

So sorry. I've had major writer's block. I'm trying okay. Thank you. Please R&R.

Mini-Marianne


	7. Kidnappings at Night

Early eveing soon become late eveing. Not a soul stirred...except one...Chelsey lay on her back, hands behind her head, gazing at the stars. She wished the other Digidestind believed her, but knew that until she found Cheetahmon, they would not. Even then, they might not...With that thought in mind, she curled up into a ball, and tried to go to sleep. Sleep never came easily for her, and the fact that she might be kicked out of the group just cause the sleep to elude her completely. She casted a weary eye on Tai. What did she have to do to prove to him and the others that she was one of them, and just wanted to help? She continued to ponder on this, but did not get any ideas that could help. At last, sleep finally reached her. She closed her eyes, and slipped into a deep sleep...

:a few hours later:

Chelsey cuddled up close to Joe. It was still late evening and she was freezing. It was colder than she thought it was... She pulled Joe's arm over her small body and shivered violently. "It's so cold..." She whimpered as she snuggled close, her face on Joe's chest.

Joe slowly woke up to the shivering 5 year old in his arms. He smiled a little, but his eyes bore concern and worry. He wrapped his arms around the child and pulled her close. "What's wrong?"

"I-It's so cold..." She whispered softly. Her eyes remained closed.

"Cold?" Joe seemed confused. "It's not cold at all..." He could see Chelsey shivering as though she was in the tundra. He placed his hand on her forehead. It was warm, but not hot. Chelsey just had a small fever. It wasn't life threatening yet. He reached into his first aid kit, and pulled out some medicine.

He gave Chelsey 2 pills. "Here, eat these. I don't have a cup of water with me, so you'll have to just eat them." He tried to hand Chelsey the pills, but she wasn't moving. "Chelsey?" She was shaking to hard to notice him handing her the pills. He shrugged and pushed them into her mouth. Instinct took over, and she just swallowed them instantly.

"Good girl." Joe spoke softly, stroking Chelsey's hair. She smiled a little, and her breathing slowed down a bit. She was drifting back to sleep. Joe set her back on the ground. "Good night, Chelsey." With that, he leaned in and gave her a goodnight kiss on the forehead. He then rested back on the ground, and whispered to her, "See you in the morning."

He closed his eyes. Soon, he and Chelsey were off in dreamland...

:a short time later:

Chelsey huddled close to Joe during the night. The temperature dropped a little, but it was still warm. They could feel the cool breeze brushing up against their bodies. Chelsey rubbed her arms together. She still felt feverish, but not as bad as before. She looked at Joe.

She couldn't help but smile. "Thanks for your help, Joe." She whispered softly. She laid back down, and put her head on his chest. Almost on instict, Joe's arm moved up and was placed on her little body.

The girl blushed, but didn't move. She closed her eyes, and went back to sleep...

:a half our later:

Joe lay sleeping next to Chelsey. During the night, they had shifted, so now they were back to back to each other. Joe slowly woke up to a terrible smell close to his face. He found himself staring in the angry eyes of Leopardmon. JOe freaked out and was about to scream, but stopped short when the blue leopard hissed. "Make a sound and your friends will find you without a head..."

Joe froze in terror, but didn't make a sound. Leopardmon, assuming he understood, closed his teeth on the back of Joe's shirt and drug him off.

:about 10 minutes later:

Chelsey woke up. She stretched out, her head resting on a rock. She opened her eyes and looked to where Joe had lain. To her surprise, he was gone.

Bolting straight up, Chelsey rushed to the nearest person, Sora, and shook her shoulders. "Sora? Sora?" She said urgently.

Sora growled under her breath as she opened up her eyes. She was angry, but decided not to show it. She looked up at Chelsey, and rubbed her eyes. "What is it?"

"Where's Joe?" Chelsey said, almost hyperventilating. "Where is he? Is he okay? Is he hurt?" She started breathing fast, and she started to feel lightheaded.

"Chelsey! Chelsey!" Sora wrapped her arms around Chelsey's body and hugged her close. "Shhh...calm down... Slow down your breathing."

Chelsey slowly was able to control her breathing. But she was still worried about Joe. "I just hope he's okay."

"He's fine." Sora said, smiling. She then pulled Chelsey close to her. "Shh...go back to sleep..." Sora laid down, with one arm around Chelsey's smaller form. Chelsey, looking uneasily, snuggled a little close to Sora, and closed her eyes.

Time passed. Leopardmon came back to camp, and one by one, he begin to take the Digidestind, using the same threat over and over to keep them quiet. Soon, it was only Chelsey, Sora, Mimi and Tai left.

Chelsey slowly awoken. She looked around next to her. She was horrified to see Joe still missing. And now that she looked around, many of the others were gone too! Where were they? She let out a long scream of fright, which woke up Sora. She was sleeping next to Chelsey. When she heard the scream, she thought they were under attack.

"CHELSEY! What's wrong?"

"They're gone...they're gone!" She whined, burying her face into her hands.

"Who is?"

"Joe...and now almost everyone else!" She didn't remove her face from her hands.

"Come on...calm down...please..." Sora cradled the fiesty little girl. But she couldn't calm her down this time. Tears flowed from the little girl's face, and she struggled in Sora's arms. "Please, relax!" Sora ordered, but Chelsey wouldn't hear of it.

"It's my fault!" She screamed. It wasn't really her fault, but she had a tendency of believing she was bad luck.

"What's goin on?" A voice asked behind them.

Sora looked. "Mimi, she won't calm down." She held Chelsey in her arms, rocking her gently. "She's worried about the others."

Mimi walked over, a look of concern on her face. She knew why the 5 year old was acting like that. She couldn't blame her. "I know what you mean, but you can't get too worked up just because they're missing. We have to stay focused." "Focused on what!" the five year old screamed angrily. "Our friends are gone! The Digimon are gone! What else is there to focus on!" Mimi glanced around, so did Sora. Chelsey was right. The Digimon were gone too. The next one to speak was a very irritated Tai. "Alright, Chels. if it makes you feel better, go and look for them. I'm sure when you find them, they'll just tell you they had gotten lost..." he trailed off as the 5 year old gave him a nasty look. Standing up, she headed towards the woods. She would find them if it was the last thing she did.

When she was gone, Sora frowned at him. "You do realize she could ger lost, right?" Tai frowned at her and was about to speak when something russled in the bushes. Tai frowned. "Chelsey, I thought you were gonna..." he stopped short when the figure came out...

:somewhere out in the woods:

"Joe! Izzy! Matt! Where are you guys?" Chelsey stumbled over a large root on one of the trees. And that's when she heard screams. Without thinking, she turned back. And when she reached camp, she found Sora's hat and Tai's goggles. Picking them both up, she knew what had happened...and she vowed to find them...

To be continued.

Finally. Chapter 7 is up. The mild fever scene, as well as a couple of others were made by DarkHououmon. Be sure to credit her. Thank you.

Mini Marianne


	8. The Cloaked Figure

And so her search began. With both Tai's goggles and Sora's hat in hand, she searched high and low for her missing comrades. After about 20 minutes, she wandered out of the jungle. It was nothing but desert before her. Undaunted, she climbed on top of a tall sand dune and gazed around. She saw nothing but miles orver miles of sand. After a moment of standing there, the wind began to pick up. Chelsey glanced around, watching the sand stir up, higher and higher each passing seasond. And when it turned into a sand storm, she knew she was in trouble now...

:meanwhile:

In a mansion not far from the Digidestind's campsite, a figure sat in front of a large cage, musing to himself. Leopardmon's eyes gleamed with glee as the unconscious children began to stir. And, a moment later, 10 yells were heard. Tai quickly looked at his friends and noticed two girls he'd never seen before. They both looked older. Both girls wore glasses and had brown hair. Their fasion statements were different as well. "Huh? Who are you?" The oldest of them turned to him and replied. "I'm Kacie." "And I'm Jana." chimbed in the younger girl. The indrotuction was cute off at this point by Leopardmon.

His nasty eyes slowly surveryed each Digidestind. His look of glee turned to puzzlement, then anger. "There's suppose to be 11 of them! One's missing! But which one?" He turned to the wall oppsite the Digidestind. There, on the wall on pegs, were the tags and crests. Under each peg was a lable, but being so far away, they found it difficult to figure out who was missing. "Tai, why don't you use your mini-teloscope?" Sora suggested. Tai nodded, reached into his pocket, pulled it out and looked into it. He spotted the only peg without a tag and looked at the lable. "Loyalty." he read. Joe froze, the color draining out of his face. _Chelsey..._

At that moment, the door opened and small, cloaked figure slipped in. "Sir, I have some information that might be of interest to you..." Leopardmon turned this figure, puzzled. "Tell me..." "I know the location of the 11th child." Leopardmon's eyes lit up with excitment, but this news causes the Joe's heart to skip a beat. "Tell me, my friend." The cloaked figure paused for about 2 seasonds before replying. "She has wander to the furthest end of your jungle. Near the river. If she is lucky, she will be crossing it right now, but she won't get much further than that." "Thank you! Watch the prisoners for me as well and you will be rewarded." This freaked Joe out, but he didn't have the chance to cry out in protest. Leopardmon had already left.

The cloaked figure now turned to the cage. At that moment, the door opened again, and this time, two Gazimon walked in. "Boss said he was leaving you in charge, stranger. Is there anything you need?" "Yeah. I want one of the Digidestind out...to pester." The Giazmon grinned at this. "Which one?" "The boy with glasses." Joe shuddered as the Gazimon entered the cage. "Electric stun blast!" The second the attack hit, Joe's knees buckled. The clocked figure as shuddered. Within another 5 seconds, Joe had fallen, and now the Gazimon came forward, grabbed an arm, and drug him out. None of the other Digidestind moved. There was something funny going on, although they weren't sure what. With a slam, the cage door clanged shut, locking, and the Gazimon drug the hapless victim to the cloaked figure. With their job done, the two Gazimon left the room, stating they would return in half an hour to see if anything else was needed. And now Joe was alone.

Shaking from both the shock and fear, the 12 year old boy waited for the cloaked figure to do it's worst. It came over, cloak swaying in the back like the leaves in a tree. Joe closed his eyes, expecting the worse. He felt a slight pressure on his chest, and he figured that he was probably going to be smothered. But then he heard a soft sob. Confused, he opened his eyes and looked down. The cloaked figure had pulled him into a hug. Looking up, the cloaked figure reached up and pulled down the hood...

To be continued.

Can you guess who the cloaked figure is? Wait for the next chapter and find out.

Mini Marianne


End file.
